Some people would complain if they lived in heaven. As a resident of Feros at Byron Bay for the last five years, I can assure you, we are all cared for very well.
As a result of the 2022 audit, 38 of 42 requirements (some were trivial) have since been remedied. Is there another aged care facility which is lucky enough to have more than two acres of lawns, gardens and trees, just to accommodate a total of 40 residents?
The only problem we have is shortage of permanent carers/staff. That shortage is because of greedy real estate agents and landlords exploiting the shortage of property for purchase or rent, which makes living in Byron Bay too outrageously expensive for would-be carers to come to live and work here.
As for residents wandering off – we do not live in a jail. We are free to come and go whenever we please. We are asked to sign out, so management don’t worry.
The code to open the gate is displayed on the office wall, just inches from the gate.
However, since a previous government audit, Feros has been instructed to leave the gate wide open, all day and every day. That wide open gate is an invitation/temptation for two or three residents who are showing signs of dementia and do not sign out.
If when Paul Bibby needs aged care, and he comes to Feros, he will be a lucky old man.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
